Peterson had been suspended without pay immediately following the shooting.

Israel said he made the decision after reviewing video surveillance and interviewing witnesses, including the deputy himself. The sheriff says Peterson responded to the building where the shooting took place, took up a position outside a door and never went in.

Peterson waited outside the building for about four minutes, Israel said.

When asked what Peterson should have done, Israel said the deputy should have “went in, addressed the killer, killed the killer.”

Authorities say 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz fatally shot 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14.